Research
Original plumbing data and research from public sources: wages, prices, water bills, workforce, and housing data, with methods and sources stated.
Plumbing Problems by Metro: Leaks and Water Outages in the 15 Largest US Metros
AHS 2023: leak and water outage rates for the 15 largest US metros. DC tops leaks at 13.5%;…
Where Plumbers Are Concentrated: Plumbers per 1,000 Jobs and Helper Ratios by State
BLS May 2025: Louisiana has the most plumbers per 1,000 jobs (4.32), District of Columbia the fewest. Location…
How Dangerous Is Plumbing? Injury and Fatality Data for the Trade
BLS data: plumbing/HVAC contractors had 3.0 injuries per 100 workers in 2024 vs 2.2 for construction. 348 plumber…
Water Heater and Fixture Price Index: What Manufacturers Charge, 1990 to 2025
BLS PPI: water heater prices up 304% since 2000 vs 87% CPI; up 51% since 2019. Fixtures, boilers…
Plumber Pay After Inflation: Thirty-Five Years of Hourly Earnings in Real Dollars
Plumbing/HVAC hourly pay rose 174% since 1990 but only 12.2% after inflation, most of it since 2019. BLS…
Bathrooms in New Homes, 1973 to 2025: How America Built Its Way Out of the One-Bath House
Census data: 40% of new homes had 1.5 baths or fewer in 1973, 4% in 2025; 32% now…
Water Heaters by State: Fuel, Running Cost, Tankless Share and Age (EIA RECS 2020)
EIA data for every state: electric vs gas water heaters, annual cost (US avg $287), tankless share and…
What Homeowners Spend on Plumbing Projects: AHS Cost and DIY Index, 2023
Census data on 2-year plumbing projects: 9.9M fixture jobs (median $542), 3.6M pipe jobs (median $1,000). DIY share…
Well Water and Septic by Region: Who Is Off the Public Pipe in 2023
13.9M US homes use a private well and 24.6M are on septic (AHS 2023). New England leads on…
Household Plumbing Breakdowns: How Often US Homes Lose Water, Toilets and Sewer
Every quarter 4.6M US homes lose running water and 2.3M lose every toilet (AHS 2023). One-bath homes fail…